Brandin Podziemski wouldn't have been shocked with Moses Moody's return to the starting lineup on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, but another major change from the Golden State Warriors would have certainly delivered a painful gut punch to the third-year guard.
Podziemski and fifth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga are commonly viewed as Golden State's two most talented (and valuable) young players, yet both will find themselves coming off the bench for the time being as Steve Kerr stunningly turns to rookie guard Will Richard.
Will Richard's starting role sums up Brandin Podziemski's early form
Podziemski would have been going into the season looking to solidify the starting role he had after the All-Star break, while also taking the leap closer to stardom that could reduce the gap between the Warriors and the top tier of contenders in the Western Conference.
The 22-year-old would have known that some underwhelming early form could open the door for Moody or Kuminga, but never in his wildest thoughts would he have believed that the 56th overall pick could come out and be starting over him by the 13th game of the season.
Yet that's just what happened on Wednesday night, with Richard quickly ushered in despite receiving a pair of DNPs against the Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns less than 10 days earlier. The move not only signifies how impressive Richard has been since joining the franchise, but also the lack of improvement Podziemski has been able to display to start his third season.
The move wasn't a one-off either, with Kerr confirming on Thursday to 95.7 The Game's Willard and Dibs that he'll remain with the same starting group for the time being.
"Watching Will cut and distribute and create the space that Steph needs and Jimmy needs with his shooting, and then watching Moses guard the ball so well and he's in a great groove shooting the ball. I'm going forward with this group. We'll see how long it lasts, but I liked what I saw last night," Kerr said.
Podziemski's early numbers are eerily similar to what he produced over the course of last season, suggesting he's stagnating rather than any major decline. He did play more minutes than Richard on Wednesday and was a +10 against the Spurs, but there'd certainly be some bewilderment as to how he's found himself in a position where he's lost a starting role to a late second-round pick.